Ivy and I were cut from different cloth. She was
lithe, able to turn one cartwheel
after another. I
was tubby, unable to complete one cartwheel. She took
lessons as
tasks to be done as quickly as possible
so she could play with others. I played
with words
and numbers so I could avoid playing with
others.
Hence the predicament she created for
herself. It was arithmetic time - multiplication
for
me- division for Ivy. But Ivy was not dividing. She was
playing tick/tack/toe with
Cordell Davenport, who was
in the third grade for his third time.
Miz Harrison
pounced like a hungry eagle on a rabbit. In one fluid
speechless movement she
motioned Ivy and Cordell to
the blackboard. She drew two circles-- nose high for
each.
"Nose in circle", she said
Ivy
and Cordell stood for what likely to them seemed an
eternity. Back in their seats they
practiced
'dividing' under the admiring eyes of classmates and the
watchful eyes of Miz Harrison.
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